BlackBerry today announced plans to make its
ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry Messenger available to iOS and Android users this summer, with
support planned for iOS6, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or
higher, all subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.
BBM sets the standard for mobile instant messaging with a fast,
reliable, engaging experience that includes delivered and read statuses,
and personalized profiles and avatars. Upon release, BBM customers
would be able to broaden their connections to include friends, family
and colleagues on other mobile platforms.

In the planned initial release, iOS and Android users would be able
to experience the immediacy of BBM chats, including multi-person chats,
as well as the ability to share photos and voice notes, and engage in
BBM Groups, which allows BBM customers to create groups of up to 30
people.
"For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the
mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a
multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most
engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily
connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We're
excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM
community," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software
Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.

BBM is loved by customers for its "D" and "R" statuses, which show up
in chats to let people know with certainty that their message has been
delivered and read. It provides customers with a high level of control
and privacy over who they add to their contact list and how they engage
with them, as invites are two-way opt-in. iOS and Android users would be
able to add their contacts through PIN, email, SMS or QR code scan,
regardless of platform. Android users would also be able to connect
using a compatible NFC-capable device.

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers, with more than
51 million people using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM
customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages
each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to
other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within
20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM
customers are.

Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social
engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with
the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate
about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice
and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to
approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Earlier this year, BlackBerry revealed its latest OS, BlackBerry 10, running on the company's latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Z10. While the operating system offers a number of updated features, BlackBerry Messenger remains a strong selling point for the company's devices.

But according to The Verge, BlackBerry has now opted to offer the messaging service on competing smartphones.

"It's time to bring BBM to a greater audience, no matter what mobile device they carry," said BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins.

The free BBM app is expected to arrive on iOS and Android sometime
this summer. Compatible Android devices will need to run Android 4.0 and
later, while iOS devices with iOS 6 and up will be able to take
advantage of BlackBerry's messaging service. Both apps will of course
need to pass Google and Apple's approval process first.

The decision to give away what was previously exclusive to BlackBerry
devices seems, admittedly, a bit strange. But according to Heins, the
move is a "statement of confidence," adding that BlackBerry 10 is so
promising the company thinks BBM can stand alone as an independent
messaging app.Source

The announcement was made by BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins at the
BlackBerry Jam Americas event in Florida. The announcement is seen as a
reactionary move in response to the emergence and popularity of cross
platform messaging apps WhatsApp, Viber, and Line. Facebook has also
asserted itself into the messaging space with a standalone app Facebook
Messenger, and the innovative Chat Heads which allows Android users to
keep chats active while on other apps.

Heins says the the move is a “statement of confidence” for
Blackberry’s new platform BB10. He adds the new operating system’s
prospects are, "so strong that we are confident that BBM can become an
independent messaging solution."

Support
Upon release BBM for iOS and Android will support iOS 6 and above and
Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above. The app will be
free a free download from both the iTunes app store and Google Play.

iOS and Android users will be able to add contacts through BBM PIN,
email, SMS or QR code scan regardless of platform. Android users will
also get the ability to add contacts via compatible NFC-capable devcies.

Features
With the release of BB 10 OS, BBM received an upgrade adding new
features like video calling and screen sharing. BBM for iOS and Android
will initially only include messaging and groups. Heins says the full
experience will come, “later on.”

BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers. BBM customers
collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day.
BBM for iOS and Android is slated for a summer 2013 release, so expect
it to arrive from June to August of this year.Source

At present those looking to use BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) would need to be using a BlackBerry
device. Moving forward though, that support will be expanding to
include other platforms. We have heard plenty of rumors suggesting that
BBM was coming to Android in the past, however as of today we have the
official confirmation coming by way of BlackBerry. In fact, it was said
that BBM will be coming to Android sometime this summer.

The folks at BlackBerry have yet to offer anything specific in terms
of a release date, however it was made clear the release hinges upon
approval of acceptance into the Google Play Store. In addition to
Android, BlackBerry will also be releasing a version of BBM for iOS
users. Basically, it looks like BlackBerry is expanding the device
support in an effort to further grow the user base. These details are
coming out of BlackBerry Live 2013 where some key facts were shared.

It was said that BBM has more than 60 million monthly active users
and that there are more than 51 million daily active users who are using
BBM an average of one and a half hours every day. Further BBM related
stats show there are more than 10 billion messages sent and received
daily and that about half of all BBM messages are read within 20 seconds
of arrival. Speaking at BlackBerry Live, Andrew Bocking who is the
Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem at
BlackBerry talked a bit about the engagement of users noting that;

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are
inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right
for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been
one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling
them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal
privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to
join the BBM community.”

Some of the features that are expected to arrive with BBM for Android
include BlackBerry Groups as well as voice note sharing, multi-person
chatting and the same immediacy that current BBM users experience. For
those not familiar, BlackBerry Groups allow BBM users to set up groups
of up to 30 people. These groups can then be used to share calendar,
photos, files and more.

Aside from the current selection of features, BlackBerry also
announced BBM Channels this morning. These channels are described as
being “a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow
customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups
they are passionate about.” The one catch here, BBM Channels may or may
not be available for Android users at launch. At present there was
mention that support for BBM Channels (as well as voice and video
chatting) will be coming to Android sometime “later this year.”Source

At the BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the popular service that has long allowed BlackBerry users to chat and share voice notes, images and video, will now be cross-platform with free apps for iOS and Android.
Heins reportedly called it a “statement of confidence.”

There are certainly some trade-offs in this decision, but I call it a smart move to keep BlackBerry users from defecting. Even though Heins has been bragging about the success of the company’s current line of phones and its new operating system, BlackBerry is no longer the behemoth it once was. So one problem with the old BBM model is that there has been a shrinking pool of people for BlackBerry users to chat with via BBM.

Now, with a cross-platform product, BlackBerry users will have plenty of iOS and Android users to communicate with.
There are already competing cross-platform apps including Whatsapp, Skype and — to a certain extent

BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

Risks and benefits
The obvious risk in making BBM available to other platforms is that
it means that BlackBerry users who love BBM more than BlackBerry itself
are now free to abandon the device and switch to an iPhone or Android
device. That could cause BlackBerry to lose some customers, especially
young people in the U.K. and other countries where BBM is quite popular.
I don’t think it will have much of an impact in the U.S. (I rarely see
young people with BlackBerries these days) and even where BlackBerry is
strong, it could also serve as an incentive for some to stay with
BlackBerry because their BBM product just got a lot more useful.

One thing it does do is make BlackBerry more relevant. People are
talking about it and thinking about it and BlackBerry users can now use
BBM to reach out to their friends who are Android and iOS users.

BBM popularity
BlackBerry claims to have more than 60 million active BBM users with
“more than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends
or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.” BBM users
send and recieve more than 10 billion messages a day, which, according
to the company is “nearly twice as many messages per user per day as
compared to other mobile messaging apps.”Source